Gar Tsenba (, –?), also known as Gar Trintsan Tsangtong (), was a general of the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

. He was the third son of minister

Gar Tongtsen Yülsung Gar Tongtsen Yulsung (; zh, t=噶爾·東贊域松; 590-667) was a general of the Tibetan Empire who served as '' Lönchen'' during the reign of Songtsen Gampo. In many Chinese records, his name was given as Lù Dōngzàn ( zh, t=祿東贊) or L� ...

. In Chinese records, his name was given as Lùn Zànpó () or Zànpó (). He was sent to '' 'A-zha'' to defend against

Tang China The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

after his father's death. In 681, he invaded Tang China in 681, but was defeated in Liangfeichuan (良非川) by Heukchi Sangji. His brother

Gar Trinring Tsendro Gar Trinring Tsendro (; ? – 699), also known as Lon Trinling (), was a famous general of the Tibetan Empire. He was the second son of minister Gar Tongtsen Yülsung. In Chinese records, his name was given as Lùn Qīnlíng () or Qǐzhèng ...

succeeded as the new Great Minister in 667, thus Tsenba was also appointed as one of high ministers. According to '' Old Tibetan Annals'', in 690, Tsenba corrected taxes in ''g.yo ru'' (a place in modern Nêdong District,

Shannan, Tibet ShannanThe official spelling according to ( zh, c=山南, p=Shānnán, l=south of the mountains), also known as Lhoka (; zh, c=洛卡, p=Luò kǎ), is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Shannan includes ...

) together with ''ba tsab rgyal tsan thong bo''. The Chinese troops led by Wang Xiaojie and

Lou Shide Lou Shide (; 630–699), courtesy name Zongren (宗仁), formally Viscount Zhen of Qiao (譙貞子), was a Chinese military general and politician of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, twice serving as cha ...

invaded Tibet in 696, but was fully beaten by Tsenba and his brother Gar Trinring. After this battle, Trinring had a very high reputation in Tibet. The young king,

Tridu Songtsen Tridu Songtsen (), Tridu Songtsen or Dusong Mangban, (b.668 – 704d.; r. 676–704 CE) was the 36th king of Tibet and reigned during the Tibetan Empire period. Ascent to throne 'Dus-rong ascended the Tibetan throne after the death of his father, ...

, realised that members of the Gar family had become independent warlords and posed a threat to the central authority of the king. In 699, the king pretended to organise a great hunt and then had his men turn on members of the Gar and their supporters. Trinring had to commit suicide, and the Gar family were purged by the young king. After hearing about this, Tsenba surrendered to China together with his nephew Mangpoje (known as Lun Gongren (論弓仁) by Chinese). The Chinese empress

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

was very happy, and met him personally and titled him ''Tejin'' (特進), Right Guard Senior General (右衛大將軍), and Prince of ''Guide'' Commandery (歸德郡王). He and his Tibetan troops were sent to Changsong (昌松, in modern Wuwei,

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

) to defend against Tibet. Tsenpa was regarded as the most dangerous traitor by Tibet. In 700, the Tibetan general Khu Mangpoje invaded Liangzhou, and put Changsong under siege in order to vanquish him, but was fully beaten by Chinese general Tang Xiujing. Tsenba was posthumously titled ''protector general of Anxi'' (安西大都護), the highest commandant of

Protectorate General to Pacify the West The Protectorate General to Pacify the West (Anxi Grand Protectorate), initially the Protectorate to Pacify the West (Anxi Protectorate), was a protectorate (640 – ) established by the Chinese Tang dynasty in 640 to control the Tarim Basin. Th ...

, by Chinese court after his death.

References

''Old Tibetan Annals (version I)'', P.T. 1288

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gar Tsenba 7th-century Tibetan people Tibetan Empire Tang dynasty generals at war against Tibet Tang dynasty nonimperial princes